The present invention relates to an apparatus for and method for cleaning the application-edge surface of a liquid application apparatus that is used for applying a magnetic dispersion liquid to a flexible carrier. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the application-edge surfaces of an extrusion-type application apparatus, a blade-type application apparatus, or the like.
A magnetic dispersion liquid is conventionally applied to a flexible carrier made of polyethylene terephthalate in manufacturing a magnetic tape or disk intended for use as an information recording medium. An extrusion-type or blade-type application apparatus is often used to apply the dispersion liquid to the carrier. When the application process is continually performed, residual magnetic dispersion liquid or contaminants on the carrier tend to be collected and accumulated on the application-edge surfaces of the metering and/or smoothing member of the extrusion-type or the blade-type application apparatus. This contamination adversely affects the quality of the surface of the magnetic dispersion liquid applied to the carrier because the quality of the surface of the magnetic layer applied to the carrier is degraded with streaks or scratches caused by the extraneous substance or with spots caused by the substance itself transferred to the carrier.
Conventionally, the edged surface of the metering or smoothing member is manually wiped away to remove the extraneous substance. However, manual wiping is low in efficiency and adds to the downtime of the application operation, thereby lowering the productivity of the application process. In addition, the manual cleaning operation requires that the person who performs the wiping be highly skilled so as to not damage the edge surfaces. Any damage to the edge surface Causes serious damage to the surface of the magnetic layer. Moreover, the clean level by the manual wiping varies from person to person, i.e., the wiping is not likely to be consistent. If the magnetic dispersion liquid is applied to the flexible carrier when the application-edge surfaces remain contaminated with foreign matter, the frequency in occurrence of application problems, such as nonuniformity of application and streaking On the surface of the liquid applied to the carrier, is increased, thereby lowering the yield or quality of the magnetic tape, disk, or the like.